The three-day NFL draft and its related fan activities drew 200,000 people, drawing praise from league and city officials even as questions arise about whether the event will return to Chicago next year.

More draft headlines

Ryan Pace's desire to add a quarterback didn't compel him to use one of the Bears' six draft picks on one. Instead, the general manager moved quickly after the draft to sign East Carolina free agent Shane Carden.

When Kevin Dunckel of Naperville walked to the Selection Square podium Saturday to announce the Bears' fourth-round pick in the NFL draft, he was armed with some advice from a friend, the kind you'd expect from a fellow Bears fan: "Don't screw it up."

Year after year, the pageantry of the NFL draft continues to mushroom. So for Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, his welcome-to-the-league moment came with quite a ceremonial twist Friday night.

When the Bears had their chance to go on the clock with the No. 7 pick in Thursday's NFL draft, general manager Ryan Pace felt his enthusiasm elevate. West Virginia receiver Kevin White was still available. And of all the things that drew Pace to White — his size, his speed, his 2014 production...

One by one on Thursday night some of the NFL's top draft prospects filed out of black SUVs fit for the Secret Service and followed the gold-carpet path into the historic Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University.